Fed up with the market

[mikedt]

I can't even migrate my number to a landline, either, because it's not the (present home) area code. And if I lose this number, even if I moved back, my chances of getting a number in said area code are effectively nil.

Is that something specific to the US? Because I've never heard of doing that before, apart from with a call diversion service from the telco, where calls to the mobile number can be forwarded to a landline, or vice-versa. Phoning a mobile was always billed at higher rates than landline numbers. Plus they have their own area code, like beginning with "07" in the UK, and in China the area code for mobiles is sort of in the middle of the number, like 1xxx531xxxx for Jinan, whereas landline numbers are like 0531 xxxx xxxx.

 

[codezer0]

Is that something specific to the US? Because I've never heard of doing that before, apart from with a call diversion service from the telco, where calls to the mobile number can be forwarded to a landline, or vice-versa. Phoning a mobile was always billed at higher rates than landline numbers. Plus they have their own area code, like beginning with "07" in the UK, and in China the area code for mobiles is sort of in the middle of the number, like 1xxx531xxxx for Jinan.

In short, the only time you can't port a mobile number to a landline (read: convert it to a landline) is if you're no longer in that same area code. Safe to say, my present mobile number used to be a landline, so it was no problem porting then. but I've since moved about three time zones away from there. So, unless I could suddenly move back? No, I can't convert my mobile number into a landline number.

 

[Hadron]

Is that something specific to the US? Because I've never heard of doing that before, apart from with a call diversion service from the telco, where calls to the mobile number can be forwarded to a landline, or vice-versa. Phoning a mobile was always billed at higher rates than landline numbers. Plus they have their own area code, like beginning with "07" in the UK, and in China the area code for mobiles is sort of in the middle of the number, like 1xxx531xxxx for Jinan, whereas landline numbers are like 0531 xxxx xxxx.

Yeah, US mobile numbers use the same area numbers as landlines. My understanding is that this is why in the US the mobile user pays (or uses inclusive minutes) to receive calls as well as make them: since the caller can't tell from the number whether they are calling a landline or a cellphone, any extra charges must go to the cellphone owner rather than the caller. It's the same logic that is used for international roaming: the person calling me when I'm in Switzerland may not know that they are making an international call, hence any extra charges from that are billed to me.

It's one of several features of the US mobile phone system that's unusual internationally.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

OT: @codezer0 I wish I traveled that much. My mobile and landline area codes are the same. I need to get out more.

 

[Hadron]

I do agree that the market is frankly rather crap, though mainly for different reasons: in my case it's particularly this obsession with oversized phones to the exclusion of all else. In fact I'm at severe risk of having a choice of Sony or Apple if I need a replacement in the near future, and absurdly Apple are the more reasonably-priced of the two! And yes, phones are increasingly ridiculously priced for what are marketed as short-lived devices - and when you consider the resources that go into making one of these things the idea that you might replace it after 1-2 years, as the industry pushes people to do, is pretty much criminal (the main reason I've never bought into this "you are due an upgrade" culture the carriers work to encourage).

TBH the two "innovations" I'd like most are better battery technology and the death of the "glass sandwich" design (the fact that none of the 2020 Pixels was a glass sandwich was one thing that Google got right last year). And "better battery technology" means higher charge capacity and longer battery lifetime, not gimmicky high-power charging (which is part of the "disposable" culture problem IMO).

And since I posted this we've had CAD-based renders of the Pixel 6 range which show that they are planning to release 2 phablets this year. So that's a Pixel out of the picture for me next time (materials aren't specified, but if the glossy look of the renders is based on real information it might be back to the glass sandwich too - which moronic bloggers will call "premium").

On the plus side the Zenfone 8 seems a sensible size and includes a headphone jack. So maybe the "wide" android market will offer me a choice of 2 phones rather than just one...